Social Care Report
Published on 04 May 2023 06:04 AM
Our Report on Social Care
During January - March 2023, 81 local older people completed our survey on social care services in Redbridge.
We found that on awareness of social care services and assessments, just 15% of respondents are ‘confidently aware’ of the support on offer. Around a third (38%) know how to make contact, while a similar number (36%) do not.
Given that half of respondents (52%) would contact social services if they needed support with daily living, we feel that awareness levels need to be much greater.
A fifth of respondents (21%) would not be willing to undertake a financial assessment, to receive services and support. There are concerns about privacy, doubts about eligibility, and worries about losing independence. With this in mind, we also feel that services should offer more encouragement, to improve uptake levels.
When accessing services, 28% of respondents were able to make contact easily, while a larger number (39%) experienced difficulty. The phone is clearly the most preferred method of contact (63%) so should remain as an effective option going forward.